The Evaluation of Clitoral Blood Flow and Sexual Function in Elite Female Athletes

Clitoral blood flow measurements using clitoral color Doppler ultrasound have been performed with increasing frequency either in order to assessment of female sexual function/dysfunction. The trials to evaluate the sexual function in healthy subjects, especially in the subgroup of female elite athle...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sexual medicine 2010-03, Vol.7 (3), p.1185-1189
Main Authors: Karatas, Omer Faruk, Baltaci, Gul, Ilerisoy, Zeynep, Bayrak, Omer, Cimentepe, Ersin, Irmak, Rafet, Unal, Dogan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Athletes - psychology
Athletes - statistics & numerical data
Blood Flow
Body Mass Index
Clitoris
Clitoris - blood supply
Clitoris - diagnostic imaging
Female
Female Athlete
Humans
Middle Aged
Physical Fitness
Sexual Behavior - physiology
Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological - diagnosis
Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological - epidemiology
Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological - physiopathology
Sexual Function
Social Class
Surveys and Questionnaires
Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Clitoral blood flow measurements using clitoral color Doppler ultrasound have been performed with increasing frequency either in order to assessment of female sexual function/dysfunction. The trials to evaluate the sexual function in healthy subjects, especially in the subgroup of female elite athletes, are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether elite female athletes and sedentary healthy females differ in their clitoral blood flow and sexual function as an expression of their physical fitness status. Twenty-five female elite athletes (Group I) and healthy female subjects (Group II) were enrolled as volunteers in the study. All women were instructed to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Each subject underwent high definition color Doppler ultrasonography to measure the clitoral blood flow parameters. The effect of physical activity on clitoral blood flow and sexual life in women. Mean age, mean age of menarche, mean marriage age, and body mass index were similar for both groups. In Group I, the mean peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity were higher than those of Group II, whereas the mean RI was similar for both groups. There were statistically significant differences for total FSFI score and all domain scores, except desire domain, between both groups. In elite female athletes as compared with sedentary healthy females, better clitoral blood flow and better sexual function were demonstrated. Therefore it seems superior physical fitness correlates with better sexual function. Karatas OF, Baltaci G, Ilerisoy Z, Bayrak O, Cimentepe E, Irmak R, and Unal D. The evaluation of clitoral blood flow and sexual function in elite female athletes.
ISSN:1743-6095
1743-6109
DOI:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01569.x